The present invention relates to conveyors, and, in particular, to a conveyor in which products can be sorted off onto spurs as they travel along the main conveyor path.
Several different types of sortation conveyors are known, and they all have drawbacks. With a sliding shoe sorter, products can only be fed onto the sortation conveyor at the end, and a substantial amount of energy must be used to run the conveyor, even when very few products are being carried, because the sliding shoes and their mechanisms must be carried along with the conveyor. These sorters are also expensive to buy and to maintain.
A tilt tray sorter has the advantage of being able to receive products from the side, so it can have several inputs, but it subjects products to considerable shock loads, which is not suitable for fragile products. Also, product orientation cannot be maintained in this type of sorter.
Diverters are also known, using driven wheels, O-rings, or belts to carry the products off of the main conveyor path, but these diverters cannot operate at high speeds. Product tracking is not good with these diverters, because products may slip on the diverting mechanism.